Dec 7, 2010

Assange arrested, appearing before magistrate in UK.

2.35pm: Assange sought consular assistance from the Australian high commission, according to Channel 4 News.

Sky claims that members of the commission are inside the court with Assange.

2.33pm: WikiLeaks has put out another appeal for funding. "KEEP US STRONG - DONATE", it tweeted.

With what?

The Press Association news agency has more on Visa's decision to cut off payments:

The card payment operator said an inquiry is under way into how the organisation operates.

The whistle-blowing website has suffered repeated denial of service attacks, moved server, lost its PayPal service and had a key Swiss bank account closed.

WikiLeaks relies on online donations from a worldwide network of supporters to fund its work.

A spokesman said: "Visa Europe has taken action to suspend Visa payment acceptance on WikiLeaks' website pending further investigation into the nature of its business and whether it contravenes Visa operating rules."

2.28pm: Assange said he would fight extradition to Sweden, according to the Associated Press news agency.

2.10pm: The socialite Jemima Khan has appeared in the court with Julian Assange, according to Sky News.

2.08pm: US defence secretary Robert Gates has welcomed the arrest of Assange. Speaking to reporters on a visit to US troops in Afghanistan, Gates smirked on hearing the news.

"I hadn't heard that, but that sounds like good news to me," he said.

2.07pm: More financial problems for WikiLeaks: Visa says it has suspended all payments to WikiLeaks "pending further investigation".